Dear Editor,
According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, Jamaica dipped two spots to 67 among 140 countries, due to poor scores in environmental sustainability and culture. The latter is no surprise to me. In fact Jamaica scored worse in culture at 108 out of 140 than it did in safety and security at 95 out of 140.
The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.
The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.
Cultural and business tourism provide work for our translators, airline employees, taxi drivers, hotel, restaurant and night club workers, gift shops, art and craft producers throughout the country, market Jamaica as the destination of 'Out of Many One People'. A clearly articulated inclusive policy on cultural tourism, if implemented, can contribute to the much hyped economic transformation. In this regard, Jamaica has a distinctive advantage as we have historical links with Europe, Africa, China and India. The latter two are rising world powers that can be sources of not only business investment and partnerships but also of tourists. Such a policy will contribute immensely to cross-cultural understanding beyond the confines of the African heritage but rather the linkages that exist between all our ancestral heritages. Our multicultural heritage, instead of being neglected, can be leveraged into a significant income stream. This however requires a policy framework that allows all cultures to be at the national table so that they would be able to fully recognise their cultural and economic potentials.
Andrew King
Jamaica must build on culture tourism
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According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013, Jamaica dipped two spots to 67 among 140 countries, due to poor scores in environmental sustainability and culture. The latter is no surprise to me. In fact Jamaica scored worse in culture at 108 out of 140 than it did in safety and security at 95 out of 140.
The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.
The rationale is simple; Jamaica has no clear national cultural and cultural tourism policies. Cultural tourism in Jamaica has to move beyond Jazz and Blues Festival. It must embrace the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and varied spiritual and religious traditions and heritage of Jamaica providing the opportunity to showcase the fine arts, maroon, Rastafarian and African liberation days, Hosay festival in Clarendon, our rich Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Christian history, the Indian villages in Westmoreland and Clarendon, Jamaican carnival, the arrival of all our peoples and many other local festivals will provide opportunities for both local and foreign tourists to better understand the origins of the cultural diversity that flourishes here that we sometimes take for granted.
Cultural and business tourism provide work for our translators, airline employees, taxi drivers, hotel, restaurant and night club workers, gift shops, art and craft producers throughout the country, market Jamaica as the destination of 'Out of Many One People'. A clearly articulated inclusive policy on cultural tourism, if implemented, can contribute to the much hyped economic transformation. In this regard, Jamaica has a distinctive advantage as we have historical links with Europe, Africa, China and India. The latter two are rising world powers that can be sources of not only business investment and partnerships but also of tourists. Such a policy will contribute immensely to cross-cultural understanding beyond the confines of the African heritage but rather the linkages that exist between all our ancestral heritages. Our multicultural heritage, instead of being neglected, can be leveraged into a significant income stream. This however requires a policy framework that allows all cultures to be at the national table so that they would be able to fully recognise their cultural and economic potentials.
Andrew King
Jamaica must build on culture tourism
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